Mía was a nine-year-old girl who lived in a house full of mysterious corners. Her favorite place was the attic, a space filled with dusty boxes, old furniture, and forgotten objects. One day, while exploring her grandparents’ things, she found something special: a small, broken compass hidden inside a carved wooden box. The needle didn’t spin, and the lid was scratched, but Mía found it fascinating.
She decided to take it to her room to try and fix it. With some glue, a magnet she found in the kitchen, and a lot of patience, she managed to get the compass working again. But when she held it in her hands, something strange happened: the needle didn’t point north like other compasses. Instead, it began to move rapidly, pointing toward the window of her room.
Intrigued, Mía followed the direction the compass indicated. She walked through her house, down to the garden, and finally arrived at an old hollow tree she had never noticed before. Inside the trunk, she found a small, glowing portal that seemed made of light. Without thinking twice, she reached out her hand and felt everything around her begin to spin.
When she opened her eyes, she was in an incredible place. It was a world where everything seemed taken from a dream: colorful rivers floated in the air, talking animals walked on clouds, and crystal castles floated in the sky. But the most surprising thing was seeing another version of herself—a taller, braver, and more creative Mía—who greeted her with a radiant smile.
“Welcome,” said the other Mía. “I am your dreaming self, the part of you that imagines without fear. This compass has brought you here because your forgotten dreams need to be found.”
Mía didn’t fully understand what that meant, but her curiosity was stronger than her confusion. Following the compass’s directions, they began walking together through magical landscapes. Soon they arrived at a forest where the trees had leaves made of brushes and canvases. There, Mía remembered that as a child she had wanted to be a painter, but she had stopped drawing because she thought she wasn’t good enough.
“Why did you stop trying?” asked her dreaming self.
“Because my drawings weren’t perfect,” Mía replied, looking at the ground.
“Dreams aren’t about perfection,” said her other self. “They’re about enjoying the journey. Here’s a chance to reclaim that dream.”
Mía picked up a brush from one of the trees and began to paint. At first, she hesitated, but soon she let herself be carried away by the magic of the place. She created a painting so beautiful that even she was surprised. For the first time in a long while, she felt a deep joy in creating something with her own hands.
Continuing their journey, the compass led them to a beach where the waves sang songs. There, they met a mermaid who explained that this place represented the adventure dreams Mía had once imagined. She remembered that she had always wanted to travel and see the world, but she had stopped thinking about it because she believed it was impossible.
“Nothing is impossible if you start with small steps,” her dreaming self told her. “Why don’t you start by researching new places or learning about other cultures?”
Mía nodded, excited by the idea. Sitting on the sand, she wrote a list of all the places she wanted to visit someday. Each name she wrote made the stars in the sky shine more brightly.
The last place the compass took them was a mountain covered in golden lights. At the summit, there was a giant mirror that reflected not only her image but also her deepest thoughts. Mía saw all her insecurities: the fear of failure, the doubt about her abilities, and the worry about what others thought of her. But she also saw something else: a spark of courage that had always been there, waiting to be discovered.
“Those insecurities are normal,” said her dreaming self. “What matters is not letting them stop you. The dreams you’ve reclaimed today will give you the strength to face any obstacle.”
Mía then understood that the compass hadn’t just taken her to magical places; it had also shown her parts of herself she had forgotten. She had found the courage to pursue her dreams and the creativity to imagine new possibilities.
When she returned home, everything seemed the same, but Mía knew something inside her had changed. She now saw the world with different eyes, full of hope and determination. She placed the compass on her desk as a reminder that dreams are never truly lost—they’re just waiting to be found.
From that day on, Mía began working on her passions. She started drawing again, began reading books about different countries, and wrote stories about imaginary adventures. Though she was still the same shy girl as always, she now had something new: the certainty that she could be brave whenever she needed to be.
And so, thanks to the Compass of Lost Dreams, Mía learned that within every person lies a world full of possibilities, ready to be explored. All it takes is a little magic and a lot of heart to find it.
The literary works exhibited in Fanshie are registered under Intellectual Property.
